Roasted Eggplant With Spiced Chickpeas
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3large eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise (about ½ inch thick)
- ¼cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for pans
- ¼cup peanut oil
- 1onion, minced
- 6garlic cloves, minced
- 128-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1teaspoon allspice
- 1teaspoon cinnamon
- 1tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Sugar to taste
- Salt and black pepper
- 115-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
- ½cup pine nuts, toasted
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- Thick yogurt for serving, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
346 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 835 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the ¼ cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
- Step 2
In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes’ sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
- Step 3
To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
If you don't know or use pomegranate molasses, or if you never had this dish before, it's not important at all. Skip it or replace it with something that's a sweet, and acid and has a hint of "something". The "something" can be any herb, fruit or spice you have but seldom use. Say, cardamom, or orange peel, or, how's this?; a couple of dried cranberries made into paste.
Easy to find in a store that stocks Middle Eastern foods, but an easy substitute can be made. Take some 100% pomegranate juice and reduce it by heating it until it is syrupy. It should be slightly thicker than maple syrup. Adds a really nice flavor.
This was excellent! Instead of plating it right away, I folded the eggplant “sandwiches” and placed them in a 9x13 pan, layered on more sauce and sprinkled with the rest of the pine nuts. Then I returned it to a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld more. This would be fantastic with seasoned ground lamb mixed in the sauce. For a more Moroccan feel, I would sub out the spices for 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout and bloom it in the hot oil with the onions for 1 minute.
Cooked longer til sauce was thickened and roasted and sweet, better the second day! Delicious and fancy for company dish.
Peanut oil, totally unesseary, made two times now, once with pomegranate syrup, once with brown sugar. Either works. Walnuts give another layer of texture and flavor that pine nuts do not. This tastes even better leftover. It’s a Sunday dinner thing. Minimum 1 hour. Delicious.
Can this be frozen? I am one person. I would halve the recipe and freeze portions.
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